2022 Allen College Nursing Programs

With more than 90 years of educational service, Allen College is a health-care focused private institution in Waterloo. The college started in 1925 as a hospital-based School of Nursing which offers diploma programs. Presently, it offers a wide range of healthcare programs—baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral. Moreover, in terms of accreditation, the college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Its baccalaureate, master’s and doctor of nursing practice degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) as well.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Students seeking a BSN degree at Allen College can do so through any of these three tracks—traditional, accelerated, and RN to BSN. The traditional BSN option requires 4-year completion with the first the first 1.5 years for the prescribed general educational credits from another college, while the remaining 2.5 years for the nursing coursework at Allen College. Meanwhile, the Accelerated BSN option has rigorous coursework which can be completed in 15-16 months or 4 consecutive semesters. Completion of the traditional and accelerated options provide eligibility to sit in the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. Lastly, the RN to BSN option can be completed in one or two years for an accelerated plan or part-time plan, respectively. Nursing courses in this option are delivered in an online format.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) - This MSN program has 8 specialization tracks. The said tracks are: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (ACPNP), Community/Public Health Nursing (CPH), Leadership in Health Information Technology (LHIT), and Leadership in Healthcare Delivery (LEAD). The LEAD option allows students to obtain an MSN from Allen College and a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Northern Iowa. Students with BSN degree or RNs with non-nursing baccalaureate degrees are eligible for program admission. Moreover, these tracks are also offered as certificate programs for individuals who already possess an MSN degree.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) - Two entry tracks are offered for this DNP program—the post-graduate DNP and BSN-DNP option for master’s- and baccalaureate-prepared individuals, respectively. Moreover, students in the BSN-DNP option can choose between Nurse Practitioner, Community Public Health Nurse, Nurse Educator, or Nurse Leader, as their track.

The nursing school at Allen College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waterloo, Iowa. Its nursing programs are accredited by ACEN, ACME, CCNE and COA.

Degree types you can earn at Allen College include Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nursing, and the school provides its offerings to students via campus, hybrid and online formats. The level of nursing programs offered to nursing students include Accelerated BSN, Bachelor Degree, BSN to DNP, Doctor of Nursing, LPN to BSN, Master Degree, MSN to DNP, Post Master's NP Certificate, RN to BSN and RN to MSN level degrees.

For nursing students in Iowa, the state average NCLEX-RN passing rate for ADN programs is 85.27% and for BSN programs is 86.41%. The average national NCLEX-RN passing rate for ADN programs is 85.48% and for BSN programs is 87.22%.

Out of 31 nursing schools in Iowa, the nursing program at Allen College ranks #3 in the state, and out of more than 1,700 nursing programs nationally, it ranks #48. It's 3-year average NCLEX-RN passing rate is 97.36%, giving the Allen College an overall grade of A.

Nursing Program Stats at a Glance for Allen College

• Grade: A
• NCLEX-RN Passing Rate Average: 97.36%
• Iowa State Rank: 3
• National Rank: 48

Best Online Nursing Programs for Iowa Students

In-state nursing schools are preferable to out-of-state programs as your tuition and logistics for attending school will be considerably less than if you attended school out-of-state. Online nursing schools are also an option.

Compare Iowa Nursing School Rankings